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ACTUALLY, WE’RE F**KED: Show Review by Robin Gorman Newman



ACTUALLY, WE’RE F**KED, a new play by Matt Williams, is receiving its world-premiere production at Cherry Lane Theatre.

From defecation to periods to circumcision to religion….the show opens with a steady stream of highly opinionated millennial banter as two 30-something couples gather to eat, drink…and not quite be merry.  The world is going to pot and is achingly overpopulated, in their universal opinions, thus the notion of one day potentially becoming parents is not remotely on their respective radars .  So, it’s as if a bomb drops when Rachel (Marin Lee) unexpectedly announces that she is expecting.  This is especially a shocker, we later learn, because her husband cannot father a child.

Attorney Rachel is married to teacher/fitness/health buff Nick (Ben Rappaport), and it is in their well-adorned apartment where all the action takes place. Interior Decorator Molly (Keren Lugo) and Banker Frank (Gabriel Sloyer) are married, but ambitious Frank appears to have a thing for career-driven Rachel….or at least he once did.  This isn’t a real shocker since he seems mismatched with the maternal, spiritually-minded Molly who is busy redoing Rachel’s bathroom and stressing over tile color choices.

Each of the characters, for different reasons, has a key to the apartment, and it feels like a revolving door at times….and an odd setting for some of the encounters, since we never see the home of Molly and Frank.

Directed by John Pasquin, the pace moves along, as secrets and indiscretions are revealed.  Unfortunately, the characters lack depth, thus we aren’t overly drawn in emotionally, so little empathy is felt.  The appealing actors deliver as best they can, with Lugo and Rappaport projecting the most relatability.

The show features a neatly-constructed set (design by Robin vest), featuring a slick sliding wall that opens conveniently to the kitchen.

Lighting design is by Paul Miller, costume design by Theresa Squire, sound design by M.L. Dogg and projection design by Brad Peterson.

Playwright Matt Williams, a seasoned creative veteran of such hit television shows as Home Improvement, The Cosby Show, and Roseanne, clearly knows his way around humor.  There is enough offered up here, in between the barbs, making the show a mildly entertaining, 90 minutes of theatre.

ACTUALLY, WE’RE F**KED runs through April 7, 2019. It  plays Tuesday at 7PM; Wednesday – Friday at 8PM; Saturday at 5PM & 9PM; Sunday at 3PM. Tickets are $65-$95 and are available at www.CherryLaneTheatre.org , by calling 866-811-4111 or by visiting the Cherry Lane Theatre at 38 Commerce Street in NYC.

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